Off Color Brewing in Lincoln Park has released a wild ale from the iconic pH1 barrel, a vessel credited with popularizing wild and sour ale in the United States. The brewery’s co-founder, John Laffler, shared the finished product with Block Club Chicago, describing it as moderate in alcohol strength and bitterness with a long shelf life that’ll see its flavors evolve thanks to the living organisms inside each bottle.

The Brewing Process

Laffler had spent more than 14 months entrusted with pH1, and the wort he placed in that barrel a year ago was no longer there. The finished product is a blend of a wheat-forward wort that initially rested in the barrel and one of the brewery’s Belgian-style saisons. Laffler said he entertained the idea of dry hopping the beer but deemed the thought too much of a gimmick to impose on this iconic barrel’s history.

The interest and enthusiasm surrounding pH1 and Off Color’s place in its story has been heartening for Laffler, countering the harsher narratives that sometimes surface about the state of the brewing industry. Since taking custody of pH1, Laffler said his visitors to the brewery have included out-of-towners fresh from O’Hare Airport and still toting their luggage, asking just to take a look at the barrel.

Original reporting: Block Club Chicago — read the source article.